His Secret Alaskan Heiress

“No, thanks, Sophie. I’ll take a water, though.”

“C’mon. Live a little,” she teased. “Our coffee drinks are the best thing since sliced bread. Once you taste one of ’em, you won’t be able to resist them.”

He shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m not really a coffee drinker.”

Sophie felt her eyes widen. Not a coffee drinker? And he was going to be working at a popular coffee joint in town? Humph! As the daughter of a coffee magnate, Sophie had a hard time wrapping her head around the notion that Noah didn’t like coffee. It was downright peculiar.

He shrugged. “Sorry. I just never took to it.”

She didn’t know what to make of that statement, but didn’t want to hurt the new cook’s feelings by poking him about it. Because she’d grown up in the midst of a coffee empire, she found Noah’s philosophy rather shocking.

Sophie led him down the hall toward the kitchen. She paused to grab a cold bottle of water from the fridge and handed it to Noah. “No need to apologize. Speaking for myself, I’ve always loved coffee. When I was little girl I remember waking up to the smell of it.” She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nostrils. “Daddy always loved coffee. All types. He would make all these specialty drinks at home right from our kitchen. Mama used to make coffee ice cream for him with one of those old-fashioned ice-cream makers. I used to love when she’d let me turn the handle. I think the love of coffee was imprinted on my DNA.”

Sophie blinked back tears. A sudden wave of homesickness washed over her. Despite everything that had transpired between them, she missed Daddy terribly. Home was still etched on her heartstrings. Everything she’d ever learned about coffee had come straight from her father. There’s love in the bottom of every cup. That was the Java Giant motto. Just thinking about it triggered a feeling of loss so vast it made her heart ache. Even though her father had transformed over the years into a man whose sole focus was his coffee empire, she still loved him and she always would. Ditto for Mama, who was now in heaven. Her parents’ divorce had shattered her childhood, but it hadn’t made her love them any less. All her memories from her childhood in Georgia were still imprinted on her heart like a permanent tattoo.

Noah seemed to be studying her. “Hey. Are you all right?” His voice was infused with concern. Sky blue eyes radiated compassion.

She sniffed back tears. “I’m fine. Just feeling a little nostalgic today. I love being here in Alaska, but I miss my folks like crazy.”

“I’m not surprised to hear that. Family is the most important thing, bar none,” he said.

Sophie nodded. “I feel very fortunate to have a family right here in Alaska. Cameron. Hazel, who you’ll meet in a few minutes. My best friend, Grace. Jasper, the town mayor. They’re not blood related, but they treat me like one of their own. I love them very much.” She knew she was gushing, but she couldn’t help herself. When it came to Love, Alaska, she tended to wear her heart on her sleeve.

Something resembling understanding flickered in his eyes. He nodded. “That’s called community. It’s the beauty of a small town. I grew up in one, so I know what I’m talking about. You’re very blessed, Sophie.” For the first time Noah’s voice had a sweetness that warmed her insides. So he wasn’t a robot, after all.

Sophie knew she was fortunate to have landed in a heartwarming town like Love just when she’d needed it the most. Her world had crumbled in all around her back in New York City, and she had found a soft place to fall right here in Alaska. For the past year Sophie had been taken under the wing of the townsfolk and treated like gold. In return, she had fallen in love with the small fishing village and its folksy charms.

“I do feel very blessed,” she murmured.

For some reason, Noah’s words wormed their way inside her and caused her to feel a groundswell of guilt. She had been a resident of this fishing village for more than a year, and for the entire time she had not been forthcoming about her identity or the fact that her father was a billionaire. Although she had tried to convince herself that it didn’t matter, she knew deep down inside that withholding the truth from the residents of Love was an act of pure selfishness. In the beginning it had seemed like self-preservation, but with each and every day that passed, Sophie became more and more uncomfortable with the omission. After all, this town had endured near bankruptcy, an embezzlement scandal and severe financial hardships.

Bile rose up in the back of her throat at the mere thought of confessing all to the townsfolk. How in the world would they ever understand her situation? This town had endured business closures, a failed cannery, foreclosures and a severe economic downturn.

No matter how she sliced it, Sophie knew she had to be honest about her family connections before the truth ever came bubbling to the surface. If not, she might risk losing the goodwill and friendship of a whole community of people who trusted her.

Chapter Two (#u0db49dd9-bebf-5684-93ca-b3a530153a54)

As he headed out of the Moose Café, Noah raised his hand to his chest to steady himself against the feelings rising up inside him. It felt like he’d just run a mile. His heart was beating faster than a drumbeat. It always felt like this when he took on a new assignment. Ever since he’d stepped foot into the Moose Café, pure adrenaline had been racing through his veins.

Noah had ended up working the grill and helping out in the kitchen, finishing the shift alongside Cameron. He’d left right before they locked up the place for the day. He had to admit that cooking at the café hadn’t been half bad. It reminded him of working at his family’s restaurant, the Highline Diner, in Homer. Before too long he’d fallen into the familiar rhythms of food prep in a kitchen.

He wrinkled his nose. For the life of him he couldn’t figure out what had just transpired. Spending time with Sophie and observing her had been his goal, but he wasn’t sure he’d been prepared for the experience. Noah hadn’t been expecting someone so down-to-earth...and nice.

He shook the feeling off, knowing he was heading into unsafe territory. Once upon a time Noah had seen life through rose-colored glasses when it came to women. Once bitten, twice shy. Life had shown him that he was far too trusting. As a result, he had chosen a career path that involved digging up information to prove without a shadow of a doubt a person’s true character. Facts didn’t lie. Pictures of husbands stepping out on their wives didn’t lie. Money stashed away in secret accounts gave a snapshot of deception.

He was a man who dealt with facts. So far, he knew that Sophie was a woman capable of twisting a man’s heart up in knots and abandoning him at his lowest moment. Despite the fact that she was able to plaster on a picture-perfect smile and act as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, Noah knew this woman had another side to her.

He needed to get his head out of the clouds and focus. What did it matter if she was nice or nasty? She was a job. Sophie Miller was his target. He didn’t want to be friends with her. Didn’t want to know her family history. He didn’t have any intention of kissing those heart-shaped lips. And he couldn’t care less about her adorable Southern twang.

It shouldn’t matter to him that Sophie emitted rays as shimmery as the sun and as sugary sweet as an ice-cream sundae. He let out a groan of frustration. He wouldn’t be feeling this way if Sophie had been as mean as a snake or bucktoothed and homely.

Don’t forget who she is. What kind of woman ditched her fiancé without warning and took off for parts unknown, leaving nothing more than a curt goodbye letter? John Sussex had been emotional and worried out of his mind when Noah had met with him in New York City. Sussex had flown him in to meet with him face-to-face about the assignment.

The way he figured it, there was a sucker born every minute. Sussex had it bad for Sophie Miller. And even though she’d treated him like the gunk underneath her shoe, he still wanted her back. He’d hired Noah to keep tabs on Sophie and to report back to him regarding her romantic attachments. Although he felt a little bit conflicted at first about spying on Sophie, Noah knew his line of work often revolved around surveillance. He wasn’t sure why this particular gig left him feeling so out of sorts.

As he got into his car and began driving down Jarvis Street, he looked around at the shops and local scenery. As he passed the Moose Café he spotted the sheriff’s office directly across the street, along with a toy store, a barbershop and a trading post. He grinned as he passed a small bookstore called The Bookworm. Tomorrow he might stop in to see if they carried his favorite mystery writer. Suddenly, he noticed a familiar mane of long titian hair with a hot-pink hat perched on top. Sophie! She was bundled up in a winter parka and a pair of sturdy boots. He wondered where she was going, since he’d just heard her say earlier that she was getting a ride home from Hazel.

Given the gloomy-looking sky and a few flakes falling, he hoped that Sophie wasn’t venturing too far. Not my problem, he reminded himself. Sophie was a big girl, fully capable of making her way around town. So what if it was snowing? Alaska and snow went hand in hand. Sophie was probably used to it by now, even though she was a New York City girl.

He swung his gaze back to the road, then glanced over again at her. The snow seemed to be falling at a faster clip now. He watched as she slipped a little, before managing to catch herself so she didn’t fall.

“Atta girl,” he said. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt like cheering Sophie on. There was something about her that made him want to root for her.

Noah let out a frustrated groan as he watched her continue to trudge onward through the snow. Ever since he was a kid it had been ingrained in him by his father to help out a lady whenever necessary. Chivalry. This time would be no different.

He slowed his car and veered toward the snow-covered sidewalk until he was parallel to Sophie. He pushed the button to let the window down and called out, “Hey, Sophie. Can I give you a ride somewhere?”

She whirled around, her face reflecting surprise. Then she shifted from one foot to another and rubbed her mittened hands together. “I don’t want to put you out, but I’m not sure I can walk all the way to the Black Bear Cabins. It’s pretty frosty out here.”

He waved her over. “Come on. Hop in.”

A cold blast of air assaulted him as soon as Sophie tugged the passenger door open. Her cheeks were rosy as she settled into her seat and put her seat belt on. “You’re a lifesaver. I usually get a ride home from Cameron or Hazel, but I think they must have gotten their wires crossed today. I went to get my things, and they’d locked up the place and left.”

“No problem. What are the Black Bear Cabins? Sounds like something out of a fairy tale.” He couldn’t stop thinking about porridge and bears and chairs being broken in a tiny house nestled in the woods. He hadn’t been much of a reader as a kid, but he seemed to remember something to that effect.

Sophie chuckled. “Just go straight along this road until you come to the Moose Crossing sign. Once you pass it, you take a right about a half mile down the road and keep going until you see the sign for Black Bear Cabins. That’s where I live. I rent out one of the cabins from Hazel, who owns the place. So do a bunch of others who came here for Operation Love.”

Noah wrinkled his nose. “Operation Love? That’s what brought you here? The matchmaking program?” Noah had heard about it on the Seattle news, and when he’d researched the town of Love it had popped up in the search engine. From what he gathered, it was a program created to pair up single bachelors from here in town with women who came from across the United States. He wondered how successful it had been so far.

Had Sophie found someone? Was she no longer single? Although he suddenly felt tongue-tied, he had to find out if Sophie was romantically attached to anyone here in Love. It was his job to know these things and pass them on to his client.

Something told him John Sussex had no idea that Sophie was part of the matchmaking program. He hadn’t mentioned it to Noah when he’d hired him. Had his client been holding out on him? Was there more to Sussex than met the eye? Noah considered himself a pretty good judge of character, but it was possible he’d missed something.

Sophie nodded, her long hair swirling around her shoulders. “Yes. In a way. I came here to reinvent my life, and Operation Love seemed like a good way to find a husband and a loving home.”

A husband? Love? Ouch. It wasn’t going to be easy relaying that information to Sussex. Noah wanted to shake his head in disbelief, but he didn’t want to alienate Sophie, who was giving him the information he needed. Picking her up and taking her to the Black Bear Cabins had yielded more information than he’d imagined.

“You really think your future is here in Love?” There was a tinge of incredulity in his voice that he couldn’t manage to mask. He didn’t want to sound like a jerk, but he felt amazed that women actually ventured to this town and stepped out in such a massive leap of faith. What if they ended up with a serial killer?

Sophie grinned at him. “The way I figure it, God has always been faithful to me. He placed me here for a reason. I just have to be patient and let it all unfold.”

Noah snorted. He hadn’t meant to, but it slipped out. One quick glance in Sophie’s direction showed that she wasn’t pleased in the slightest. Her pretty face was now scrunched up in a massive frown. Her eyebrows were knitted together. He was pretty sure steam might be coming out her ears.

“Excuse me, Noah Callahan, but that was quite rude of you,” she huffed. Anger radiated off her in waves.

“I’m sorry, Sophie,” he said, feeling contrite. One look into her big green eyes made him feel like the worst person in the world for hurting her feelings. “It just sort of slipped out. Kind of like this morning, when you first saw me and called me good-looking.” He winked at her. He wasn’t trying to flirt with her, but she was a pretty girl and he liked the way she became easily flustered. That didn’t happen too often with the women in his circle. They were all way too polished for his liking.

Noah tried not to grin as he watched Sophie turn several shades of red. She opened her mouth, then closed it, while making a sputtering sound.